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A township officer patrolling Route 22 scanned John W. Hartrum's plates, which showed an active National Crime Information Center (NCIC) warrant around 11:50 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 15, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said.
The officer stopped 58-year-old Hartrum, of Bridgewater, for a traffic violation on Route 22 West approaching France Drive, where the officer confirmed Hartrum had an active warrant for failure to appear, McDonald said.
Hartrum was removed from the car and placed under arrest. A search incident to arrest yielded a clear plastic bag containing suspected cocaine on Hartrum, the prosecutor said. Hartrum was taken to Branchburg Police Headquarters for processing, and his vehicle was secured by Branchburg police pending further investigation.
Hartrum was initially charged with 3rd degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, and Failure to turn over a Controlled Dangerous Substance to Police (a Disorderly Persons Offense). A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up heroin along with a quantity of suspected Xanax pills, McDonald said.
Hartrum was then charged with two additional counts of 3rd degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance. He was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is urged to contact the Branchburg Township Police Department at (908) 526-3830 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
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